Frictional resistant exercising device

ABSTRACT

An exercise device in the form of a bracket utilized in conjunction with a rope doubled back upon itself to form a bight engaging one end of the bracket. The strands of the rope immediately adjacent the bight are twisted to provide a plurality of helical turns extending generally the length of the bracket. The opposite end of the bracket is arranged to guide the separate strands of the rope so that tension applied to one or the other of the strands effects longitudinal sliding movement of the rope to create frictional resistance between the contiguous strands. The amount of such frictional resistance is controlled by the number of helical turns into which a portion of the rope is twisted, and the amount of tension applied to the rope strands.

United States Patent 3,49%,608' 3/1970 Krug.......

Primary Examiner-Richard C. Pinkham Assistant Examiner-William R. Browne Attorney.lohn J. Leavitt ABSTRACTtAn exercise device in the form of a bracket utilized in conjunction with a rope doubled back upon itself to form a bight engaging one end of the bracket. The strands of the rope immediately adjacent the bight are twisted to provide a plurality of helical turns extending generally the length of the bracket. The opposite end of the bracket is arranged to guide the separate strands of the rope so that tension applied to one or the other of the strands effects longitudinal sliding movement of the rope to create frictional resistance between the contiguous strands. The amount of such frictional resistance is controlled by the number of helical turns into which a portion of the rope is twisted, and the amount of tension applied to the rope strands.

PATENTEU SEP28 I971 SHEH 1 BF 3 INVENTOR. HAROLD .1). WE]. CH

PATENIED SEP28 197i SHEET 2 [IF 3 HG-O 20 I INVENTOR.

#1450110 D. WELCH FRICTIONAL RESISTANT EXERCISING DEVICE BACKGROUND OF INVENTION Many devices have been constructed to facilitate the exercise of the human body through tensioning of selected muscles. Such exercise may of course be secured through various exercise routines such as calisthenics, but most conventional exercise routines are such that they require either specialized equipment or more space than is conveniently available for their execution. Accordingly, it is one of the objects of this invention to provide an exercise device that may be used indoors or outdoors, and which may be used in a relatively confined area, and which may be used in a variety of ways to exercise the muscles of selected parts of the body.

Most conventional exercise devices are of a type that require a predetermined and usually fixed amount of force to be exerted to perform a given exercise routine. Such conventional exercise devices have a limited utility because muscular development through their use may soon necessitate the exertion of greater force to reach a desired muscular plateau. Accordingly, it is another object of the invention to provide an exercising device in which the force required to effect a given exercise may be controllably varied over a wide range, thus making the same exercise device useful to a person having only slight muscular development as well as to a person having exceptional muscular development.

Few conventional exercise devices are designed to pennit transportability and use of the device wherever a person happens to be. Such limitations are frequently caused by the massiveness of the equipment, thus mitigating against its portability, or the necessity of specialized means for supporting or anchoring the device while it is being used. Accordingly, it is a still further object of the invention to provide an exercise device that is completely portable and which may be utilized wherever it is desired to perform an exercising routine.

It is well known that a given exercise routine carried out over a period of time will produce a certain degree of muscular development. To maintain such muscular development at a constant rate over a period of time it is necessary that the exercising device be capable of adjustment to increase incrementally the force required to perform the exercise so that the workload imposed on the muscles remains substantially constant as muscle development progresses. Accordingly, another object of the invention is to provide an exercise device for use in conjunction with a rope which may be adjusted to provide variations in frictional resistance requiring corresponding variations in force to effect the exercising routine.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF DISCLOSURE In terms of broad inclusion, the exercise device comprises an elongated bracket which in one aspect of the invention comprises a body portion formed from a rigid rod or bar having at each opposite end a loop formed integrally with the bar. One of the loops forms an anchor means to which is attached a strap for securing the bracket to a supporting structure. The anchor loop is also engaged by the bight formed in a rope the separate strands of which on each side of the bight are turned back upon themselves and guided by the guide loop at the opposite end of the bar. Between the spaced anchor and guide loops at opposite ends of the body the rope is twisted to provide one or more helical turns in each strand of the doubled rope, the helical turns being contiguously associated so as to generate frictional resistance to longitudinal displacement of each strand when tension is applied to the ends thereof.

In another aspect of the. invention the bracket comprises a tubular member having an anchor cap at one end and a guide cap at the opposite end. The bight in the rope engages the anchor cap and the helically arranged section of the rope is enclosed within the tubular member. The terminal end portions of the rope remote from the bight pass through appropriate apertures in the guide cap so as to permit longitudinal movement of each strand in relation to the cap an in relation to each other. Such longitudinal displacement of the strands generated frictional resistance between the helically wound strands of the rope within the tubular member. The anchor cap additionally includes means for securing the bracket to a supporting structure.

In a third aspect of the invention, the bracket comprises a closed loop having a triangular configuration, one side of the loop providing a rigid bar about which the bight in the rope is wound. The bight may be one or more turns of the rope about the bar so that the rope doubles back upon itself. The bracket is attached to a supporting structure by strap means engaging the apex of the triangular loop opposite the bar engaged by the bight formed in the rope.

DESCRIPTION OF DRAWlNGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating the exercising device in use to develop the arm and shoulder muscles. The view illustrates the exercise device supported between the hinged edge of a door and the doorjamb.

FIG. 2 is a view similar to FIG. I but showing the exercise device in use to strengthen the arm, back and leg muscles. The exercising device is shown attached to a cleat supported on the floor.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary perspective view illustrating one form of the exercise device and the manner of its attachment between the hinged edge of a door and the doorjamb.

FIG. 4 is an edge view in plan of the exercise device illustrated in FIG. 3 shown apart from the supporting structure.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a modified embodiment of the exercise device.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT In its simplest aspect, the exercise device of the invention is illustrated in FIGS. 1, 2, 3 and 4. As there shown it comprises an elongated bracket designated generally by the numeral 2, and includes a rodlike central body portion 3 terminating at one end in an integral anchor loop 4 generally circular in conformation and having a free end 6 spaced a predetermined distance from the associated side 7 of the bar as shown best at 8 in FIG. 4. While the anchor loop is shown having its free end displaced laterally from the side of the bar 3 to provide a space therebetween, thus placing a portion of the anchor loop in angular disposition to the longitudinal axis of the rod 3, it will be obvious that the anchor loop need not be laterally displaced as shown but may lie in the same plane with the body of the bracket. When so arranged, the free end of the loop should be spaced a predetermined distance from the associated periphery of the bar for reasons which will hereinafter be explained.

At its opposite end, the bracket is provided with a guide loop designated generally be the numeral 9 and including a forward portion 12 and a rear portion 13, both integral with the main body portion of the rod. The end 14 of the forward portion 12 is spaced a predetermined distance from the associated periphery of the body as shown in FIG. 3.

Attached to the bracket is a rope designated generally by the numeral 16, provided with a bight 17 intermediate its ends which is caught in the anchor loop so that the turned-back strands l8 and 19 of the rope lie contiguous to each other arranged in a plurality of helical turns as shown in FIG. 3. The strands are intertwined through the forward and rear portions 12 and 13 of the guide loop so that the strand I8 lies on one side of the rear portion of the guide loop and the strand 19 lies on the opposite side of the rear portion of the guide loop.

It will thus be seen that through the cooperative relationship between the forward and rear portions of the guide loop and the associated helical turns of the strands l8 and i9, longitudinal displacement of the strand 19 in the direction of the full line arrow illustrated in FIG. 3 will effect longitudinal displacement of stand 18 in the opposite direction indicated by the full line arrow associated with that strand, Conversely, longitudinal displacement of the strand R8 in the direction indicated by the broken line arrow in FIG. 3, will effect longitudinal displacement of strand 19 in the opposite direction indicated by the broken line arrow associated with that strand. Such relative movement of the rope strands over their lengths disposed between the anchor and guide loops will generate frictional resistance between the contiguous helical turns of the strands which may be varied merely by increasing or decreasing the number of turns.

To secure this effect, the bight formed in the rope is freed from the anchor loop by pressing it through the opening between the end of the anchor loop and the associated side of the body 3. The rope strands are then twisted to provide the number of helical turns correlated to the frictional force it is desired to generate. The bight 17 is then reengaged with the anchor loop and the exercise device is ready for use.

To support the device in position of use, as illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 3, the anchor loop is conveniently provided with a woven strap 21 having a bight 22 engaging the anchor loop, with the double-back ends of the strap being attached to a pin 23 which may be in the form of a short length of dowel passed through a loop formed in the end of the strap. To anchor the exercise device the door 24 is opened so as to widen the crack 26 between the door and doorjamb 27 so as to pass the dowel pin therethrough. The door is then closed and the exercise device is ready for use.

To facilitate application of tension on the strands of the rope, the terminal end of each strand is provided with a handle 28 (FIGS. l and 2) to which is attached a yoke 29. Each yoke in turn is attached to the end of the associated strand. By grasping the handles in the attitude illustrated in FIG. 1, it will be seen that the person exercising may control the amount of force required to effect longitudinal displacement of each strand of the rope by merely increasing the tension in a selected one of the ropes. For instance, with a given number of helical turns formed in the rope in the area between the guide loop and anchor loop, it requires only a slight amount of variation in the tension imposed by the left hand to control the amount of force that must be exerted by the right hand to overcome the frictional resistance created between the relatively movable and contiguous helical turns of the rope.

Referring to FIG. 2, it is noted that when the exercise device is used in the manner illustrated, both hands may be placed on one handle 28 with the opposite stand of the rope looped over the little finger of the left hand, It requires only a small amount of tension imposed on the strand by the little finger of the left hand to control the larger amount of force that must be exerted to overcome the frictional resistance generated between the helical turns of the line.

FIG. EMBODIMENT The principle explained in conjunction with FIG. 3 applies in the embodiment of the invention illustrated in FIG. 5. As there shown, the bracket is formed by a tubular member 31, preferably formed from a light metallic material such as aluminum, and provided at one end with an anchor cap 32 having a shoulder 33 formed therein adapted to abut against the end of the tubular member as shown. The anchor cap is provided with a crossbar 34 having a thickness sufficient to provide the strength required for safe use of the device, and proportioned to provide apertures 36 on either side of the crossbar through which the adjacent strand of the rope 16 pass in the formation of bight 17. As with the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 3, the rope strand I8 is helically arranged contiguously in relation to the rope strand l9 and longitudinal movement of the ends of the rope in the directions indicated by the arrows, as previously explained, effects'longitudinal relative displacement of the contiguous helically related strands l8 and 19 within the tubular member 31 so as to generate a frictional resistance to such displacement.

On the end of the tubular member remote from anchor cap 32, the bracket is provided with a guide cap designated generally by the numeral 37 and including an end wall 38 having a pair of apertures 39 and 41 therethrough. The guide cap is provided also with a cylindrical flange 42 threaded to engage complementary threads fonned on the end portion of the tubular member. As illustrated in FIG. 5, rope strand 18 passes through aperture 39 while rope strand 19 passes through aperture 41. It will thus be seen thatthe number of helical turns formed in the contiguous strands 18 and 19 within the tubular body may be varied at will by rotation of the guide cap. AS previously explained, an increase or decrease of the number of helical turns directly affects the amount of frictional resistance generated by longitudinal displacement of the contiguous strands.

To support the exercise device, the anchor cap'is provided with an axially extending U-shaped projection 43 to which may be attached a strap 21 as previously discussed. The U- shaped projection is preferably integral with the anchor cap for simplicity and economy of manufacture.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed to be novel and sought to be protected by letters patent is as follows:

1. An exercising device adapted to permit controlled variation in the amount of force to be exerted to perform a given exercise, comprising:

a. a bracket;

b. means for anchoring the bracket to a supporting structure; and

C. a flexible line having terminal ends and a bight therebetween engaging the bracket, the terminal ends of the line extending generally in the same direction with portions of the line on opposite sides of the bight being contiguous and intertwined about each other when taut, and movable in opposite directions to generate friction between said contiguous portions of said terminal ends when said terminal ends are moved in opposite directions.

2. The combination according to claim 1, in which said bracket comprises an elongated bar extending generally parallel to said intertwined portions when taut, and means are provided at opposite ends of the bar supporting and engaging the line in a manner to permit longitudinal displacement of the line when one or the other of the terminal ends of the line is moved longitudinally.

3. The combination according to claim 1, which said bracket comprises an elongated bar having a looped portion at each end, said bight engaging one of said looped portion, and said line constituting a rope, said contiguous intertwined portions of the terminal ends of the rope on opposite sides of the bight being twisted to provide a selected number of contiguous spiral turns, portions of said rope remote from said bight slidably engaging of the other of said looped portions whereby the terminal ends of the rope maybe displaced longitudinally to generate frictional resistance to such displacement between the contiguous spiral turns of the rope.

4. The combination according to claim 1, in which said bracket comprises an elongated bar having a looped portion at each end thereof, said looped portions lying in substantially the same plane.

5. The combination according to claim 1, in which said bracket comprises an elongated tubular member, the bight of said line slidably engaging said tubular member adjacent one end thereof and the contiguous line portions on opposite sides of the bight are enclosed within the tubular portion of the bracket.

6. The combination according to claim I, in which said bracket comprises an elongated tubular member, an anchor cap on one end of the tubular member including means about which the bight in said line may slide, an apertured guide cap on the other end of the tubular member through which said terminal ends extend, said intertwined portions of said line being between said anchor and guide caps and twisted one upon the other to provide frictional contiguity between adjacent strands of said line when said terminal ends are moved in opposite directions with respect to each other.

7. The combination according to claim 6, in which said guide cap is provided with apertures spaced on opposite sides spiral turns into which the line is twisted so as to controllably vary the frictional resistance between said contiguous spiral turns when the terminal ends of the line are moved longitudinally. 

1. An exercising device adapted to permit controlled variation in the amount of force to be exerted to perform a given exercise, comprising: a. a bracket; b. means for anchoring the bracket to a supporting structure; and C. a flexible line having terminal ends and a bight therebetween engaging the bracket, the terminal ends of the line extending generally in the same direction with portions of the line on opposite sides of the bight being contiguous and intertwined about each other when taut, and movable in opposite directions to generate friction between said contiguous portions of said terminal ends when said terminal ends are moved in opposite directions.
 2. The combination according to claim 1, in which said bracket comprises an elongated bar extending generally parallel to said intertwined portions when taut, and means are provided at opposite ends of the bar supporting and engaging the line in a manner to permit longitudinal displacement of the line when one or the other of the terminal ends of the line is moved longitudinally.
 3. The combination according to claim 1, which said bracket comprises an elongated bar having a looped portion at each end, said bight engaging one of said looped portion, and said line constituting a rope, said contiguous intertwined portions of the terminal ends of the rope on opposite sides of the bight being twisted to provIde a selected number of contiguous spiral turns, portions of said rope remote from said bight slidably engaging the other of said looped portions whereby the terminal ends of the rope may be displaced longitudinally to generate frictional resistance to such displacement between the contiguous spiral turns of the rope.
 4. The combination according to claim 1, in which said bracket comprises an elongated bar having a looped portion at each end thereof, said looped portions lying in substantially the same plane.
 5. The combination according to claim 1, in which said bracket comprises an elongated tubular member, the bight of said line slidably engaging said tubular member adjacent one end thereof and the contiguous line portions on opposite sides of the bight are enclosed within the tubular portion of the bracket.
 6. The combination according to claim 1, in which said bracket comprises an elongated tubular member, an anchor cap on one end of the tubular member including means about which the bight in said line may slide, an apertured guide cap on the other end of the tubular member through which said terminal ends extend, said intertwined portions of said line being between said anchor and guide caps and twisted one upon the other to provide frictional contiguity between adjacent strands of said line when said terminal ends are moved in opposite directions with respect to each other.
 7. The combination according to claim 6, in which said guide cap is provided with apertures spaced on opposite sides of the longitudinal axis of the tubular member so that adjacent portions of the line pass through said apertures on opposite sides of said axis, and said guide cap is rotatably adjustable on the tubular member to increase or decrease the number of spiral turns into which the line is twisted so as to controllably vary the frictional resistance between said contiguous spiral turns when the terminal ends of the line are moved longitudinally. 